Homicide Grad Judges Jury
Yeah, yeah, he's starred in series like Gideon's Crossing, Hack and scores of teleplays and feature films. He even appears in TNT's remake of Stephen King's Salem's Lot later this month. But to us, Andre Braugher will always be the ultracool, cagey Det. Frank Pembleton from NBC's late, great Homicide: Life on the Street. He recently reunited with his old Homicide honchos — producers Tom Fontana and Barry Levinson — on their newest crime drama, The Jury (debuting tonight at 9 pm/ET on Fox).
"It's a very interesting Rashamon kind of idea. The jury's invited to recreate the crimes for themselves in order to come to verdict," Braugher, 41, tells TV Guide Online. "Barry Levinson plays the judge in the first eight episodes, and I'm the judge in the last two episodes of the season."
As an actor, Braugher conveys an intellect and gravitas that'll no doubt make him a convincing (and intimidating!) magistrate. But while his guest stint felt like "old home week" for Homicide alums, he admits playing a judge isn't the most stimulating gig. "It's a lot of sitting down and listening intently," he laughs. "And some growling and banging my gavel. Generally, I enjoy being up and about, as an active participant. So when I was sitting there on the bench, I really wanted to be one of the lawyers! Whole hours could go by and my only line would be, 'Sustained.'"
Still, sounds like nice work if you can get it. This summer, Braugher will spend a lot more time on his feet in New Orleans, where he'll shoot the pilot for an FX series called Thief. The premise sounds promising: Over 13 episodes, Thief would play out a heist with a six-member crew of robbers led by Braugher's character, Nick. Their ambitious exploits will include "stealing money from the Chinese mob which they have to give back" and "trying to rip off the Federal Reserve for $123 million."
Thief's bad guys apparently are sympathetic anti-heroes, rather like the Strike Team on FX's other crimefest, The Shield. According to Braugher, there's honor among his thieves. "It reminds me of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid because you're watching the twilight of a whole style of outlaws," he says. "Let me not wax too profound, but they're dinosaurs who live by a code."
